I used to be a huge Zab Judah fan for a simple reason — he has Jewish roots and was shouted out in a Wu Tang song. That’s about as unbeatable of a combination as possible. But Zab went from being a promising southpaw in the light welterweight division to someone who lacked focus and a proper work ethic to succeed. He lost three fights in a row from 2006-2007, falling to Carlos Baldomir, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Miguel Cotto. Three fights later, he lost to Joshua Clottey. While the losses to Floyd and Cotto were understandable, Zab is too good to have ever lost to guys like Baldomir and Clottey, but that’s what happened.
Zab has said he’s rededicating himself to the sweet science and has put together a nice run of five straight victories, including a split decision win over Lucas Matthyesse in November. Super Judah now has two light welterweight belts and apparently has his goals set pretty high. Not surprisingly, he wants a piece of Manny Pacquiao, though not for a lack of respect.
Judah told Boxing Scene that though he respects Pacquiao and what Manny has done, he’d like to get with Manny in the ring because he knows he can beat him. He says the matchup of speed and southpaws would be intriguing, but I think Manny would own him.
Though I respect Zab’s lofty goals, I feel like he’s in a long line of fighters who want their shot at Manny. Why is that? Because Pacquiao’s the most popular figure in the sport, and a fight against him brings major guaranteed money and publicity. There’s no shame in losing to Manny and at least you get compensated handsomely. If you win, then you’ve done something historic. Fighting Pacquiao is a win-win proposition for any of his potential opponents.
